What Did You Do To Your RV TODAY?

[Dskyward]

OMG...I’m so very shocked, Tom! Just now seeing this. So sorry to hear this happened to you and yours. This is not supposed to happen with G rated tires on E size campers!
Did you have any warning from your TST? Any clue as to the cause?

Coming back from the UP MI, last Saturday, we saw tons of RVers on the roads, almost all of them passing us on I-75 at our 65mph pace. However, we saw 2 or 3 campers with blowouts and the last one happened 1/4 mi in front of us on another road (55 limit) as he was towing a bass boat behind his 5er when he lost his LR on the camper. Damage was about same as yours. I’ve always felt total confidence having our mighty Sailuns under the rig. But now, after 28,116 miles, that’s changed, and I’ll be paying much more attention.

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by Dskyward

OMG...I’m so very shocked, Tom! Just now seeing this. So sorry to hear this happened to you and yours. This is not supposed to happen with G rated tires on E size campers!
Did you have any warning from your TST? Any clue as to the cause?

Coming back from the UP MI, last Saturday, we saw tons of RVers on the roads, almost all of them passing us on I-75 at our 65mph pace. However, we saw 2 or 3 campers with blowouts and the last one happened 1/4 mi in front of us on another road (55 limit) as he was towing a bass boat behind his 5er when he lost his LR on the camper. Damage was about same as yours. I’ve always felt total confidence having our mighty Sailuns under the rig. But now, after 28,116 miles, that’s changed, and I’ll be paying much more attention.

No warning just heard a small pop. My only theory is they were getting too old. Tires are about 5 years old. I jinxed myself by saying the day before that I probably should replace my tires due to age! I haven’t lost confidence in the Sailun tires and will be ordering the same ones to replace these.

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

No warning just heard a small pop. My only theory is they were getting too old. Tires are about 5 years old. I jinxed myself by saying the day before that I probably should replace my tires due to age! I haven’t lost confidence in the Sailun tires and will be ordering the same ones to replace these.

Wow, no warning. Well then maybe a possible combo of the hot TX road temperatures and the age, huh? Do you happen to know the DOT stamp date? Mine show DOT 3716, or Sep 7, 2016, installed Feb 16, 2017. I have been running only 90 psi in mine.

So, you getting the nice replacement wheels above Dan bought? I may have to do the same.

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by Dskyward

Wow, no warning. Well then maybe a possible combo of the hot TX road temperatures and the age, huh? Do you happen to know the DOT stamp date? Mine show DOT 3716, or Sep 7, 2016, installed Feb 16, 2017. I have been running only 90 psi in mine.

So, you getting the nice replacement wheels above Dan bought? I may have to do the same.

I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. DOT date is 4614 which makes them 6 years old! If I remember correctly the tires were 4 months old when I installed them (for previous fifth wheel) and I swapped them over to the NP when we upgraded. The tires were on the previous rig for about 6 months and only 2 trips (less than 1000 miles).

In case you are unaware, Sailun makes 2 versions of the S637 for trailers. One is the 235/85 R16. It has a load capacity of 4400 pounds. The other is a 235/80 R16 with 4080 pound capacity. Both G rated at 110 psi. Here’s the interesting part.... if you look at the website where Dan got his wheels, they sell a wheel/tire combo with the Sailun 235/80 tires and rims that are the same size and similar rating as the factory Jayco. The rims in their combo offerings are 16x6 with 3860 pound capacity. My factory rims are 16x6 with 3750 pound capacity. So my thoughts are if you run the smaller tires with the lower weight rating and run them at 90-95 psi, you should be fine. I’d like to think they wouldn’t offer that combo if it were unsafe or if the wheel and tire weren’t compatible.

So now I’m considering getting all new tires, just the smaller ones and keeping the factory wheels. But I need to do a little more research before I finally decide.

[Dskyward]

Thanks Tom, for all that great info. Week 46 was Nov 9, 2014. So just shy of 6 yrs! I would’ve thought that 14 plies and thicker sidewall would have no issues still at almost 6 yrs at only 70% load capacity? Mine turns 4 yrs next month, so next year or sooner I’ll be considering new Sailuns. FYI-the heaviest my trailer axles ever registered was 13080 lbs(storage containers-no fresh water), lightest was 12040, no telescope. So 3010-3270 lbs per wheel—-still well under the 16-17s factory wheel wt limit. Back in 2017, I too called the wheel manufacturer about installing G rated tires and the man said it would handle 110 psi.

[SkyBound]

Replaced the old, cheap foam in the dinette cushions with high density, high quality foam... what a difference! Going to do the couch next.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Replaced the old, cheap foam in the dinette cushions with high density, high quality foam... what a difference! Going to do the couch next.

Where did you find the new foam? Sounds great!

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Where did you find the new foam? Sounds great!

2X

[Topperace]

Added some decor to the Bathroom.... and moved around our slide switches to put them in order from front to back...now need to add better slide labeling.

[ttavasc]

Did the basic installation of a SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV Cell booster. I used the ladder mount for the omni-directional antenna and ran the cable down the fridge vent. I was able to squeeze the cable through the existing hole that the 12V power for the fridge runs through, then along the wall behind the stove/sink and out to where the unit is centrally located in the end of a cabinet by the dinette.

It's close to both a 12V accessory outlet as well as a 110 outlet so for now I'm just going to use whichever plug is needed depending on whether I have shore power or not. The 12V draw for the device looks like 0.55 amp. You can see there is a noticeable difference in the speedtest before and after. All in all I'm pretty pleased with the SureCall product and anxious to see how it does when we head out on our next trip mid-September.

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

So did I!! Ours are 16x6J, it's not rated to carry that load tire. 16x6 has a max load rating of 3860 lbs. Sure enough, I crawled under and 3860 lbs is stamped on the back of the rim. I verified with the wheel manufacturer. I think I asked you for the rim manufacture info last month...that was so I could contact them. The tire shop that I took the original rim and new tires to wouldn't mount the tire because they said the rim wasn't rated for it. And sure enough, I verified with the wheel manufacturer that it wasn't.

So I talked to someone at the company that sells the rims you bought. He told me that the Sailun tires are made for a 6.5” rim which doesn’t exist in America. Said you can mount them on either 6 or 7 in rim. In fact, they sell a tire/rim combo with the 80 series Sailun and a 16x6 rim. Basically he said, as I believed all along, that you’ll be limited (weight rating wise) to whatever is your weakest link. So the tires have either a 4080 or 4400 pound rating, the rims have a rating (in my case) of 3750, and the axles have a 7000 pound rating. So basically if I install the 235/85 tires (which I have now), it makes no sense to inflate them to 110 psi to get the 4400 pound capacity because my rims or my axles will fail before the tires. Therefore I should inflate to 85 pounds (per the Sailun inflation chart) which would yield a 3750 pound load rating. So, now I will reorder another set of 235/85 Sailuns using my factory rims. That would give me 15000 pounds of load capacity which should be sufficient given my trailer has a 15500 GVWR. Also, since I’ve had these on my trailer for over 4 years without issue, I think I’m fine with any potential risk from running the 16x6 rims. Everyone has their own comfort level so no one should take my opinion as gospel. Just letting everyone know what I have found out.

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

So I talked to someone at the company that sells the rims you bought. He told me that the Sailun tires are made for a 6.5” rim which doesn’t exist in America. Said you can mount them on either 6 or 7 in rim. In fact, they sell a tire/rim combo with the 80 series Sailun and a 16x6 rim. Basically he said, as I believed all along, that you’ll be limited (weight rating wise) to whatever is your weakest link. So the tires have either a 4080 or 4400 pound rating, the rims have a rating (in my case) of 3750, and the axles have a 7000 pound rating. So basically if I install the 235/85 tires (which I have now), it makes no sense to inflate them to 110 psi to get the 4400 pound capacity because my rims or my axles will fail before the tires. Therefore I should inflate to 85 pounds (per the Sailun inflation chart) which would yield a 3750 pound load rating. So, now I will reorder another set of 235/85 Sailuns using my factory rims. That would give me 15000 pounds of load capacity which should be sufficient given my trailer has a 15500 GVWR. Also, since I’ve had these on my trailer for over 4 years without issue, I think I’m fine with any potential risk from running the 16x6 rims. Everyone has their own comfort level so no one should take my opinion as gospel. Just letting everyone know what I have found out.

Just keep an eye on your existing rims! I was going thru the rims today with my yard guy and we found a crack in the rim that had the flat. He still bought them for $50 less. Initially (about 6 months) I was inflating to 110 PSI, but after that 6 months I was inflating to 100 PSI. So that 1st 6 months was from November of '16 til about May of '17. After that time period I only inflated to 100 PSI. My original Sailun tires were "born" in August of '16.

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

Just keep an eye on your existing rims! I was going thru the rims today with my yard guy and we found a crack in the rim that had the flat. He still bought them for $50 less. Initially (about 6 months) I was inflating to 110 PSI, but after that 6 months I was inflating to 100 PSI. So that 1st 6 months was from November of '16 til about May of '17. After that time period I only inflated to 100 PSI. My original Sailun tires were "born" in August of '16.

I will. I’ll have my local tire shop give them a good once over to ensure they are ok.

[SkyBound]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Where did you find the new foam? Sounds great!

There is a local foam store within an hour's drive, and they do any type of custom foam cutting. I gave them the dimensions and what it was being used for over the phone, and within 4 days they had the foam cut and they knew exactly which density to pick based on the thickness and application. Cost me $100 for both dinette butt cushions. Very happy. Getting the zippered fabric covers onto the new foam was a bit of a wrestling match but patience and perseverance won the match.

[ChiToones]

Originally Posted by ttavasc

Did the basic installation of a SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV Cell booster. I used the ladder mount for the omni-directional antenna and ran the cable down the fridge vent. I was able to squeeze the cable through the existing hole that the 12V power for the fridge runs through, then along the wall behind the stove/sink and out to where the unit is centrally located in the end of a cabinet by the dinette.

It's close to both a 12V accessory outlet as well as a 110 outlet so for now I'm just going to use whichever plug is needed depending on whether I have shore power or not. The 12V draw for the device looks like 0.55 amp. You can see there is a noticeable difference in the speedtest before and after. All in all I'm pretty pleased with the SureCall product and anxious to see how it does when we head out on our next trip mid-September.

I am also looking at getting a signal booster. It seems that many on this forum use weBoost. Why did you choose the SureCall?

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by ChiToones

I am also looking at getting a signal booster. It seems that many on this forum use weBoost. Why did you choose the SureCall?

I have a WeBoost Drive Sleek in my F-250 and it's done a pretty decent job. I initially planned on getting the WeBoost Drive-X RV but came across the SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV while doing some research on the WeBoost. As I expect is the case with many things I was able to find reviews that favored both devices. What swayed me towards the SureCall were a few things:

1. Better warranty - 3 years vs 2 years for WeBoost.
2. Multiple internal/external antenna options (not called out in package contents but the RV kit includes a magnetic vehicle antenna and a internal patch antenna so I could set it up to move between multiple vehicles).
3. More flexible power options - includes 12v accessory plug. WeBoost is hardwire for the 12v power supply. While I will likely do that long term it was nice to simply plug into the 12v accessory and go.
4. $50 less than the WeBoost plus I noticed on Amazon there was an additional $25 coupon I could clip for a total of $75 less than the WeBoost.

Anecdotally I also found a fair number of complaints about the lack of range for the internal antenna on the WeBoost. In the simple testing I've done with the SureCall I suspect that it will likely perform in a similar fashion. I got the best results with the phone next to the booster as opposed to say 3 feet away at the dinette. To that end I mounted the booster in the cabinet underneath where we normally set our cell phones when we use them as hot-spots in the trailer so we don't need to think about it.

[ChiToones]

Thanks for the quick response and great info. I was leaning toward the SureCall mainly because of the similarities to the weBoost at $50 less. But, I was also looking at the weBoost Drive Reach and possibly waiting for an RV version. Then there are similar boosters from HiBoost, Solid RF, and King to consider. I'm also looking at the knockoffs for around $150. Probably won't go that way but I still have a lot of research to do before pulling the trigger.

[Parcany]

Finally fished waxing outside of trailer. Took longer cause of the 110 plus degree days

[Magnolia Tom]

Gave her a wash and wax. Cleaned the roof. Man it was dirty!





Used chemical guys “gloss workz” soap in a foam cannon. Then used turtle wax seal and shine on the sides. Used turtle wax hybrid solutions ceramic spray coating on the front cap.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

Gave her a wash and wax. Cleaned the roof. Man it was dirty!

Attachment 62514
Attachment 62515
Attachment 62516

Used chemical guys “gloss workz” soap in a foam cannon. Then used turtle wax seal and shine on the sides. Used turtle wax hybrid solutions ceramic spray coating on the front cap.

Tom, I really like the Turtle Wax ceramic wax. Did mine this past April and it still looks great and beading water. And it's not that expensive compared to Maquiar's.